


A Burning Thing

by Jade_Dragoness



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Community: hc_bingo, Dub-con due to magical coercion, Dubious Consent, Gen, Lara uses her Vampire Wiles, Post Cold Days, Secrets, The mantle creates problems, True Love, Winter Knight, but nothing too explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Dragoness/pseuds/Jade_Dragoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leanansidhe rides to the rescue and Harry learns something new about his godmother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Burning Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Sticking this under the hc bingo prompt: secret identity discovered, although I'm stretching the meaning of identity here.
> 
> Title from 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash.

The number one thing that I hate – I do mean absolutely _hate_ – about being the Winter Knight, other than that pesky part about having sold myself to the Queen of Air and Darkness, was how the mantle took my darker urges and made them nearly uncontrollable. I said nearly because I have yet to succumb. It took all my will-power and every mental discipline I've learned over my life but I've held off the mantle's predatory urges by the skin of my teeth.

At least until my fraying control smashed against the succubus power of Lara Raith, a White Court _freaking_ sex vampire.

The wave of her sexual power clawed at my self-control from the outside, the mantle's tore at me from the inside and my mind was caught between them until I screamed from the pressure. Lust and pain ripped at me. And my rapidly weakened control snapped. I surged forward, catching Lara's mouth against mine, although kissing her was the last thing I had wanted.

I no longer cared. She wanted me. I wanted her. I would have her.

I sank my teeth into her throat as she arched up against me, a low laugh bubbled forth like champagne out from her parted luscious lips. Her dress tore like tissue and I barely got the chance to feel her bare skin against me when she was ripped out of my grip.

I spun, snarling in challenge at whoever had dared to interfere with my prey only to look into the glowing golden eyes of my godmother, the Leanansidhe.

Lara leaped to her feet. Her arms reached for my godmother, a twisting anger on her features only to fall back when Leanansidhe casually backhanded her across the face. The sound of flesh sizzling, like that of bacon on a hot grille filled the air. The smell of burning meat met my nose.

“My queen does not abide poachers,” she said coolly. “Especially not from those unwilling to conduct a proper challenge.”

Lara had a nasty third-degree burn in the shape of my godmother's hand across her face, covering her entire cheek and her lips, exposing the bone of her cheek and her teeth. The shock of the sight was all I needed to buck off the mantle's control, now that Lara wasn't influencing me, I forced it back down. My godmother held out her hand to me, and I took it. I was so grateful to have been rescued, and so busy trying not to look at Lara in case the mantle tried to push me into something that would get me killed that it took me a long slow minute to realize the significance of the damage Lea had inflicted.

My godmother had _burned_ Lara with her bare hand. A faint memory of Thomas with a brand shaped like lips on his throat from where Lea had kissed him returned to me. I choked on air.

Leanansidhe was in love and was loved. Truly loved to have burned a White Court Vampire so thoroughly. Stars, Lea had burned Lara to the bone.

Unthinkingly, I opened my mouth to ask only for several past events to shift into a new shape in my mind. Lea preparing a potential Winter Knight, and a Winter Lady, all for Mab. Mab, in turn, pouring power into healing Lea from the disease of the adversary when it would've been safer and easier to kill her. Mab noticing Lea's changed behavior even sooner than that of her own daughter. 

Hell's Bells. Mab and Lea loved each other. Deeply. 

I closed my mouth, suddenly terrified at the knowledge unfolding in my brain and certain that if I so much as whispered out loud an implication I knew then I'd been suffering for my stupidity for a long time. So deciding that this was one of those Winter secrets that it was better I pretended never to have learned in the first place I kept quiet and watched my godmother with new eyes.

End

**Author's Note:**

> So I was rereading Grave Peril and a little detail that apparently had never sunk in before hit me like the fist of an angry god. Then I had to make Lea's love Mab because I liked the idea, a lot.  
>  _There was a mark on his neck, black and angry red, like a brand, in the shape of lovely, feminine lips. I would have thought it lipstick, but I sensed a faint odor of burnt meat in the air._  
>     
>  _“What happened to your neck?”_
> 
> _His face paled a few shades. “Your godmother gave me a kiss.”_
> 
> – Grave Peril, chapter 28 by Jim Butcher


End file.
